New Accommodation and Services for Students with Disabilities in Tobago

Photo Caption: Councillor Dr. Agatha Carrington, Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development delivers her address to the audience. (Photo Courtesy: Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development, THA).

March 20, 2017:

Councillor Dr. Agatha Carrington committed that the Division of Health Wellness and Family Development, will provide new accommodation for students at the Technical Vocational Centre within the next three months and it will include new services. The Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development made this commitment when she delivered an address at the 5th Tobago Edition of the Down Syndrome Family Network’s World Down Syndrome Day Conference, which was held at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort, Lowlands, Tobago on Monday, 20th March, 2017.

This Conference was held to commemorate World Down Syndrome Day, which is celebrated annually on 21st March, 2017. The theme for this year’s Conference was consistent with the United Nations’ theme for the year, which is: #MyVoiceMyCommunity – Enabling people with Down syndrome to speak up, be heard and influence government policy and action, to be fully included in the community. The aim of this Conference was to create an avenue to advocate for ALL persons with Down Syndrome and other persons with disabilities and to increase awareness of their human right for inclusion in all aspects of our society.

Dr. Carrington said “I commit that the Division will not only provide new accommodation for our Technical Vocational Students, but include new services such as speech therapy which is currently not available at the centre.” She asserted that this year’s theme is timely as we cannot continue to ignore the talents of persons with disabilities. Dr. Carrington added “we need community participation to foster greater inclusion and equity amongst persons with disabilities…we are going to do the research to inform how our Division and the Tobago House of Assembly can include persons with disabilities in our future work plans”. Dr. Carrington said that the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development and the Division of Education, Innovation and Energy will continue to collaborate with organizations such as the Down Syndrome Family Network, to continually provide opportunities for growth to persons with disabilities on the Island.